Mechanical bulls have existed as part of the American culture for decades, primarily for entertainment found in amusement parks, bars, restaurants, and clubs. These mechanical bulls have always been stationed at fixed locations and have provided amateurs and enthusiasts an opportunity to experience the sensation of riding a rodeo bull. The rider mounts herself onto the saddle of a traditional mechanical bull, holds onto the handle, and attempts to stay on the mechanical bull, as it replicates the movements of a bucking animal. As the bull “bucks” up and down, the rider attempts to hang on tightly. In these circumstances, the rider is judged by his/her ability to remain on the mechanical bull during for a predetermined period of time. It is generally expected that the mechanical bull may buck the rider off, which is why the stationary mechanical bull frequently has pads placed around it to soften the landing for the ejected passenger.
Although traditional mechanical bulls exhibit bucking movements vaguely similar to an actual rodeo bull, none have been able to impart a greater sense of realism due, in part, to its failure of replicating additional movements inherent to a live bull. For example, most mechanical bulls include “up” and “down” bucking movements, but they do not include other movements such as “pitching” and “lunging.” Additionally, before the present invention, mechanical bull rides have not included such movements as leg movements and head turning. Indeed, because currently available mechanical bulls lack motorized legs and head, these simulated bull rides are severely limited in conveying a sense of realism.
Furthermore, before the present invention, mechanical bull rides were always in a fixed location. This fixed location design is a significant limitation and it prevents riders from experiencing the sensation of moving spatially as s/he experiences the bucking movements of the mechanical bull. As such, a bull rodeo simulator that moves a rider freely rather than a fixed location would provide a rider a more realistic sensation of a rodeo bull riding experience.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,979 issued to Turner, for example, discloses a rodeo training device for training cowboys to ride rodeo animals such as bulls and wild horses. The apparatus includes only a rider support and mechanism to drive the support to simulate bucking and spinning motions of a rodeo animal. While this is helpful, it does not provide spatial movements, as it is stationed in a fixed location. Additionally, it does not provide realistic animal characteristics such leg movement, lunging, and head turning.
Therefore, what is needed is an improved mechanical animal simulation device that provides enthusiasts a more realistic simulation of an actual bucking animal ride by: (1) moving both the mechanical animal and rider spatially; (2) replicating more realistic bucking movements by moving one or more motorized parts of the mechanical animal; and (3) providing a mechanical animal that has realistic animal characteristics, including leg movement, lunging, and head turning.